What’s the Meaning of Macchiato?

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Posted by Ethan S. - Global Espresso category manager

One of my favorite beverages is the Caramel Macchiato, but for those who’ve never tried it, it’s a bit of a mystery. What does the word Macchiato mean, anyway? And how do you pronounce it? Macchiato, pronounced “mah-key-ah-toh,” literally means “marked” or “stained” in Italian. Traditionally, a Caffé Macchiato or Espresso Macchiato is a shot or two of espresso, with just a small amount of steamed milk that “marks” the espresso, though in some regions, the steamed milk comes first and the espresso makes the mark.

In our Caramel Macchiato the milk gets marked not once, but twice – first by shots of our signature espresso, and then by our rich caramel sauce. Take off the lid and you should see a dot where the shots were poured through the milk foam, and the rich “cross-hatch” pattern made by our caramel sauce. They’re marks of an expert and unbeatable Macchiato.